UConn Women First Night: Freshmen Look Like They're Fitting Right In

October 12, 2012|By JOHN ALTAVILLA, jaltavilla@courant.com, The Hartford Courant

STORRS — — Nothing much changes with the UConn women. The same aspirations and expectations shadow the seven-time national champions every season.

Only the names change. And sometimes the preseason work ethic, as it turns out.

Freshmen Breanna Stewart, Morgan Tuck and Moriah Jefferson have arrived and seem to have fit into a veteran team almost seamlessly.

The trio of WBCA All-Americans and USA Basketball veterans has already impressed Geno Auriemma and his staff with their work ethic, some of which involves getting up early in the morning to work out before class begins.

"Not every preseason is the same," Auriemma said. "Some are great some are not good at all. Last season when I returned from Italy, the staff told me that it wasn't a great preseason. But this year, from day one, it's been great. And it's made all the coaches, and the players, feel very positive about what is coming."

Auriemma believes the reason for that is the camaraderie the team feels, the sense that everyone is pulling in the same direction. That apparently was not the case last season, despite the Final Four appearance.

"The reason is they feel connected, like there is a shared sacrifice," Auriemma said. "They've been talking about it. They've expressed that a lot to me."

And Auriemma says there is no limit to what Stewart, the reigning high school national player of the year, can do.

"She has the chance to be as good as anyone who has every played here," Auriemma said.

Stewart competed in the dunking competition with Ryan Boatwright, Phil Nolan and Omar Calhoun of the men's program. She missed all four attempts. She tried with both hands.

Recruiting Update

UConn has yet to sign a player for next season's freshman class. Major targets like Diamond DeShields (North Carolina) and Taya Reimer (Notre Dame) went elsewhere. But there's still time. Guard Saniya Chong and forward Erica McCall, both seniors, are in Storrs for their official visits this weekend. Chong is also being heavily recruited by Louisville and Ohio State apparently also has great interest. McCall, the sister of WNBA star DeWanna Bonner of the Phoenix Mercury, has been accepted into Stanford, which may be a strong lure for the Bakersfield, Calif., native. The Huskies lose grad students Caroline Doty and Heather Buck and senior Kelly Faris after this season.

Meanwhile, major emphasis is being placed on the Class of 2014. Guard Jordin Canada of Los Angeles, the No. 1 point guard in the Class of 2014 according to ESPN's HoopGurlz, has apparently grown in stature with the UConn staff, according to one source.

If so, Canada, 6-3 Brianna Turner of Pearland, Texas., G Recee [Ree-Say] Caldwell of San Antonio and 6-3 A'ja Wilson of Hopkins, S.C., continue to highlight the list of potential 2014 recruits along with Courtney Ekmark, the Phoenix guard who has already given UConn her verbal .

Faris On Track

Faris has a chance to join Maya Moore as the only players in UConn history to compile 1,000 points (710), 750 rebounds (598), 500 assists (389), and 250 steals (198). … One of UConn's home games this season is against the University of Oakland (Mich.). There will be no return game in Michigan. … It doesn't look like there will be a local television outlet for the game at Oregon on Dec. 31 because the rights are owned by the Pac-12 Conference and it doesn't appear the conference wants to share. … Former UConn All-American Sue Bird was sitting in the stands. She just had hip surgery after the Seattle Storm were eliminated from the WNBA playoffs. … Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis won the 3-point shooting contest with 20 points. Tuck (14) and Caroline Doty (16) also competed, along with three men's players.

Zellous Gives Ralph Credit

An extension of UConn assistant coach Shea Ralph will be playing for the WNBA title beginning Sunday. Indiana guard Shavonte Zellous, who played at Pittsburgh when Ralph was an assistant there, won Game 2 of the Eastern Conference finals against Connecticut with a last-second jumper and scored 11 in 29 minutes off the bench in Thursday's Game 3 conference clincher.

Zellous credits Ralph, who coached her until leaving for UConn in 2008, for much of the competitive nature she brings to the floor.

"She taught me to be a competitor, that every possession counts," Zellous said. "One thing I will never forget that she taught me, and I assume she picked this up from playing for Geno, was to make sure that I always ran to every spot on the floor and never give up on any possession. I can hear her say, 'Run hard here, run hard there.' She always emphasized to keep working, keep grinding. And hey, look at me now."